Method and system for forming packages

ABSTRACT

A method of forming reinforced packages. The method can comprise forming an attached web by adhering a blank to a web of material and moving the attached web in a downstream direction through at least a tube forming assembly and a carton forming assembly. The method also can comprise at least partially forming a tube by folding at least a portion of the web of material as the attached web moves through the tube forming assembly, forming a reinforcement sleeve by folding at least a portion of the blank so that the reinforcement sleeve extends at least partially around the tube as the attached web moves through the carton forming assembly, and forming a reinforced package comprising the reinforcement sleeve and a tube portion by separating the tube portion from a remainder of the tube, the reinforcement sleeve being adhered to the tube portion.

CROSS-REFERENCED TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional application of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 15/142,103, filed on Apr. 29, 2016, which claims the benefit ofU.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/179,172, filed on Apr. 29,2015.

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

The disclosures of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/142,103, whichwas filed on Apr. 29, 2016, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No.62/179,172, which was filed on Apr. 29, 2015, are hereby incorporated byreference for all purposes as if presented herein in their entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure generally relates to reinforced packages forholding products and to methods of forming the packages. Morespecifically, the present disclosure is directed to methods and systemsfor forming the packages including a reinforcing sleeve for supporting abag.

Bags, such as paper or plastic bags, traditionally have been used forthe packaging and transport of products from bulk materials such as riceor sand to larger items. Bags generally are cheap and easy tomanufacture and can be formed in different configurations and sizes, andcan be used for storage and transport of a wide variety of products. Inparticular, in the Fast Food industry, bags are frequently used forpackaging of prepared food items, such as sandwiches, etc. Currently,there is a growing demand for bags or similar packages for use inpackaging various products, including sandwiches, French fries, andother prepared food items, that a worker can easily open, such as withone hand, and have the bag supported in an open configuration to enhancethe efficiency of packaging of such products. However, it is equallyimportant that the costs of such bags necessarily must be minimized asmuch as possible. While various bag designs including reinforcing orsupporting materials have been developed, often, the manufacture of suchspecialty bags having reinforcing layers or materials supplied theretohas required multiple stages or operations, which can significantlyincrease the cost of manufacture of such bags.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

In general, one aspect of the disclosure is directed to a method offorming reinforced packages. The method can comprise forming an attachedweb by adhering a blank to a web of material and moving the attached webin a downstream direction through at least a tube forming assembly and acarton forming assembly. The moving the attached web can comprise movingthe blank with the web of material. The method also can comprise atleast partially forming a tube by folding at least a portion of the webof material as the attached web moves through the tube forming assembly,forming a reinforcement sleeve by folding at least a portion of theblank so that the reinforcement sleeve extends at least partially aroundthe tube as the attached web moves through the carton forming assembly,and forming a reinforced package comprising the reinforcement sleeve anda tube portion by separating the tube portion from a remainder of thetube, the reinforcement sleeve being adhered to the tube portion.

In another aspect, the disclosure is generally directed to a system forforming reinforced packages. The system can comprise an attachmentassembly receiving a web of material and a blank. The attachmentassembly can bring the blank into engagement with the web of materialfor forming an attached web. A tube forming assembly can be disposeddownstream from the attachment assembly. The tube forming assembly canreceive the attached web and can comprise web folding features forfolding at least a portion of the web of material to at least partiallyform a tube. A carton forming assembly can be disposed downstream fromthe attachment assembly. The carton forming assembly can receive theattached web and can comprise carton folding features for folding atleast portion of the blank over the tube to form a reinforcement sleeve.The system further can comprise a cutting assembly comprising cuttingfeatures for separating a tube portion from the web of material to atleast partially form a reinforced package comprising the tube portionattached to the reinforcement sleeve.

Additional aspects, features, and advantages of the present inventionwill become apparent from the following description and accompanyingfigures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Those skilled in the art will appreciate the above stated advantages andother advantages and benefits of various additional embodiments readingthe following detailed description of the embodiments with reference tothe below-listed drawing figures. It is within the scope of the presentdisclosure that the above-discussed aspects be provided bothindividually and in various combinations.

According to common practice, the various features of the drawingsdiscussed below are not necessarily drawn to scale. Dimensions ofvarious features and elements in the drawings may be expanded or reducedto more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 1 is a perspective side view of a reinforced package in a flattenedcondition formed according to a system and method of forming reinforcedpackages according to an exemplary embodiment of the disclosure

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a blank for forming a reinforcing construct ofthe reinforced package of FIG. 1.

FIGS. 3 and 4 are perspective views of the reinforced package of FIG. 1in an opened condition.

FIG. 5 is a schematic illustration of the system and method of formingthe reinforced packages of FIG. 1 according to the exemplary embodimentof the disclosure.

FIGS. 6A-8 are perspective views of a carton feeder, an adhesiveapplicator, and an attachment assembly of the system of FIG. 5schematically showing the carton feeder, the adhesive applicator, andthe attachment assembly feeding blanks and attaching the blanks to a webof material to form an attached web according to the exemplaryembodiment of the disclosure.

FIGS. 9-11 are perspective views of a tube forming assembly of thesystem of FIG. 5 schematically showing the tube forming assembly forminga tube of the web of material according to the exemplary embodiment ofthe disclosure.

FIGS. 12 and 13 are perspective views of a carton forming assembly ofthe system of FIG. 5 schematically showing the carton forming assemblyfolding the blanks over the tube according to the exemplary embodimentof the disclosure.

FIGS. 14 and 15 are perspective views of a heat sealer assembly of thesystem of FIG. 5 schematically showing the heat sealer assembly forminga transverse seal in the tube according to the exemplary embodiment ofthe disclosure.

FIG. 16 is a schematic side view of the heat sealer assembly of FIGS. 14and 15.

FIGS. 17 and 18 are perspective views of a cutter assembly and aconveyor assembly of the system of FIG. 5 schematically showing thecutting of the attached web into individual reinforced packagesaccording to the exemplary embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 19 is a perspective view of a carton feeder according to analternative embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 20 is a schematic illustration of a system and method of formingthe reinforced packages of FIG. 1 according to the a further alternativeembodiment of the disclosure

Corresponding parts are designated by corresponding reference numbersthroughout the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

The present disclosure generally relates to a system and method offorming reinforced packages for holding products such as food productsor other articles. Packages according to the present disclosure canaccommodate articles of any shape. The packages can comprise a bag orliner comprising a relatively flexible material attached to areinforcing construct comprising a relatively rigid material (e.g.,paperboard). The bags can generally be made from a paper, plastic,laminate, or other stock material and can be attached to the reinforcingconstruct that can be located between the opened end and sealed orclosed end of the bag. In one embodiment, the bags comprise polyethylenematerial or any other suitable heat-sealable material. The reinforcingconstruct can be of varying widths and can extend about or over theclosed ends of the bags, in some embodiments enclosing such closed ends,and will provide support for the bags upon loading with a product orarticle or series of articles therein. In some embodiments, thereinforcing constructs can be folded with their bags into aconfiguration supporting the bags in a freestanding, upright, and openedcondition for ease of loading.

FIG. 1 illustrates a reinforced package generally indicated at 1 thatcan be formed by one embodiment of the system and method of the presentdisclosure. The package 1 includes a bag 3 and a reinforcing constructor sleeve 5 attached to the bag 3. The bag has an open end 7, a closedend 9 (FIG. 3), and an interior space 17 for holding a product. In oneembodiment, the bag 3 has gusseted sides 60 including a fold line 61(FIGS. 3 and 4) extending the length of the bag on each side tofacilitate forming the gusseted side. The gussets 60 can extend betweena central portion 63 (e.g., the front of the bag 3) and respectivemarginal portions 65, 67, which can form the back of the bag 3. In theillustrated embodiment, the marginal portions 65, 67 can be at leastpartially overlapped with one another and adhered to one another to forma longitudinal seam 71 extending along the height of the bag 3 (FIG. 4).As shown in FIG. 3, the closed end 9 can be at least partially closed bya transverse seal or seam 69 where the walls (e.g., the gussets 60, thecentral portion 63, and the marginal portions 65, 67) have been heatsealed and/or adhered together along a section of the bag 3. Theinterior space 17 may be accessible through a notch 15 in the bag 3. Thereinforcing sleeve 5 is configured to at least partially receive aportion 11 of the closed end 9 of the bag 3. Alternatively, thereinforcing sleeve 5 could be positioned to extend around the middleportion or top portion of the bag 3 without departing from thedisclosure.

FIG. 2 illustrates a blank 10 for forming the reinforcing sleeve 5. Theblank has a lateral axis L1 and a longitudinal axis L2. In theillustrated embodiment, the blank 10 has a front panel 21 foldablyconnected to a first side panel 28 at a first arcuate fold line 33. Thefirst side panel 28 includes two individual panel portions 28A, 28Bfoldably connected to one another at a lateral fold line 26. A firstback panel 23 is foldably connected to the first side panel 28 at asecond arcuate fold line 31. A second side panel 29 is foldablyconnected to the front panel 21 at a third arcuate fold line 35. Thesecond side panel 29 includes two individual panel portions 29A, 29Bfoldably connected to one another at a lateral fold line 27. A secondback panel 25 is foldably connected to the second side panel 29 at afourth arcuate fold line 37. In the illustrated embodiment, the arcuatefold lines 31, 33 are spaced apart from the lateral fold line 26 and areconcave with respect to the lateral fold line 26. Similarly, the arcuatefold lines 35, 37 are spaced apart from the lateral fold line 27 and areconcave with respect to the lateral fold line 27. In alternativeembodiments, the blank 10 can have alternative panel, fold line, and/orpanel portion arrangements. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/826,937,filed Mar. 14, 2013, is incorporated by reference herein for allpurposes, and illustrates various reinforced packages including variousreinforcing constructs 5, blanks 10, and bags 3 that can be formed fromthe method and system of the present disclosure.

In the illustrated embodiment, the blank 10 can include one or moreadhesive regions 41, 43, and 45 on the first back panel 23, front panel21, and/or second back panel 25, respectively, for receiving adhesiveand being fixedly attached to an exterior surface of the bag 3.Furthermore, the blank 10 has a first edge 52 and a second edge 53extending in the longitudinal direction L2. In one embodiment, theadhesive regions 41, 43, 45 are separated from the first edge 52 by afirst distance D1 and are separated from the second edge 53 by a seconddistance D2. In one embodiment, the first distance D1 is less than thesecond distance D2. The first and second side panels 28, 29 and regionsseparate from the adhesive regions 41, 43, 45 may be generally free fromadhesive in some embodiments, or may include adhesive in alternativeembodiments. Additionally, the first and second distances D1, D2,adhesive regions 41, 43, 45, and/or edges 52, 53 can be otherwisearranged, shaped, modified, or omitted without departing from the scopeof this disclosure. For example, the first distance D1 and the seconddistance D2 could be generally equal or the first distance D1 could begreater than the second distance D2.

Generally, the blank 10 may be folded about fold lines 26, 27 to createthe reinforcing sleeve 5. For example, distal ends 55, 57 of the firstand second back panels 23, 25 may be overlapped, and the sleeve 5attached to the bag 3 as illustrated in FIGS. 1, 3, and 4. In oneembodiment, the glue regions or another adhesive can extend into one orboth of the distal ends 55, 57 so that the overlapped portions of theback panels 23, 25 are adhered to one another when the reinforcementsleeve 5 is formed. The individual panel portions 28A, 28B, 29A, and 29Bmay be in face-to-face registration in a first, non-erect position ofthe bag 3 as illustrated in FIG. 1. The first, non-erect positionillustrated reduces and/or minimizes a volume of the interior space 17such that the package 1 is in a non-erect or flattened state. Thenon-erect state may facilitate easy stacking of a plurality of packagesinto, for example, a shipment container and subsequent organization at adestination facility. The individual panel portions 28A, 28B, 29A, and29B may be flexed or positioned to form first and second sides 58, 59 ofthe package 1 in a second, erect position of the bag 3 as illustrated inFIGS. 3 and 4. The second, erect position illustrated increases and/ormaximizes a volume of the interior space 17 such that the package 1 isin an erect or self-supporting state. The closed end 9 of the bag 3 canextend upwardly into an interior 56 of the sleeve 5 in the direction ofarrow A1 while the package is in the erect state (FIG. 3). Furthermore,the bottom edge 53 forms a support when the package 1 is in the erectstate for contacting a surface S (FIG. 4). The support formed of thebottom edge 53 maintains the package in an upright position on thesurface S. As further illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, the gusseted sides60 of the bag 3 may be maintained extended when the package 1 is in theerect state. Other intervening states of the package 1 includingintermediate states whereby the package 1 is not fully erected are alsoapplicable according to some embodiments. Furthermore, additionalreinforcing sleeves of differing configurations are also applicableaccording to some embodiments. The reinforced package 1 may be otherwiseshaped, arranged, and configured without departing from the disclosure.

FIG. 5 generally illustrates an example embodiment of a system andmethod 100 for forming the reinforced packages (e.g., reinforcedpackages 1) in accordance with the disclosure. In the illustratedembodiment, the packaging system 100 attaches a web of material 101 forforming the bags 3 of the packages 1 to the blanks 10, and the attachedblanks and web move through a respective packaging system from anupstream end 103 to a downstream end 105 generally in a machinedirection M (e.g., the downstream direction), and are formed into theindividual packages by various portions and components of the system asdiscussed further below.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, in the system and method 100 for manufacturingreinforced packages 1, the web of bag material 101, which can includepreprinted or imprinted paper, polyethylene, laminates, or othermaterial including flexible and heat-sealable materials, for example, isfed from a roll or supply 102. In one embodiment, the bag material 101can be pre-printed with various designs, lettering, labels and/or othergraphics and can be perforated, printed roll stock that can includepatterned adhesive that is positioned to facilitate forming the web 101into bags 3 in the formed packages 1.

In one embodiment, a carton feeder 107 is positioned at the upstream end103 of the system 100 and includes a stack 108 of carton blanks 10 thatare fed to a blank conveyor 109. As shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the cartonfeeder 107 is a pick and place type carton feeder that includes an arm110 with suction cups 110 a or any other suitable actuator for holding ablank 10. As shown in FIG. 6A, the arm 110 is positioned adjacent ablank 10 in the stack 108 and the suction cups 110 a can engage theblank 10 (e.g., with vacuum pressure) so that the arm 110 can carry theblank. As shown in FIG. 6B, the arm 110 can be moved to the positionshown in FIG. 6B so that the arm 110 removes the blank 10 from the stack108 and transfers it to the blank conveyor 109. The suction cups 110 acan release the blank 10 on the blank conveyor 109, the placement arm110 can move back to the position shown in FIG. 6A to retrieve anotherblank 10, and the blank conveyor 109 can move the blanks 10 in themachine direction M towards the web 101 of bag material. The cartonfeeder could comprise other types of feeders such as mechanisms thatconvey blanks 10 directed from a blank cutting station, or any othersuitable types of feeders or other mechanisms without departing from thedisclosure.

As shown in FIGS. 6A, 6B, and 7, the blank conveyor 109 includes twospaced apart lug belts or tracks 111 with lugs 113 for engaging a seriesof blanks 10 and conveying the blanks in the machine direction M. In theillustrated embodiment, the lug belts 111 can be endless belts, eachwith a plurality of the lugs 113 spaced along the respective belt. Inone embodiment, the lugs 113 can be spaced on the lug belts 111 byapproximately the height of the bags 3 in the reinforced packages 1. Theblank conveyor 109 receives the blanks 10 from the carton feeder 107(FIG. 6B) and moves the series of blanks 10 from the carton feeder 107to an attachment assembly 115 of the packaging system 100 wherein theweb of material 101 is attached to the blanks 10 by adhesive. As shownin FIG. 7, the blank conveyor 109 can include one or more brushes 114 orother suitable features that can engage the blanks 10 as the lug belts111 move the blanks 10 past the brushes 114. Accordingly, as the lugbelts 111 move the blanks 10 downstream, the brushes 114 can dragagainst the blanks 10 and push the blanks against the respectivelyadjacent lugs 113 so that, for example, the blanks 10 can be properlypositioned for attachment to the web of material 101 in the attachmentassembly 115. Subsequently, the lugs 113 can push the respective blanks10 toward the attachment assembly 115 overcoming the resistance of thebrushes 114.

In the illustrated embodiment, the attachment assembly 115 of the system100 includes an adhesive applicator 116 (FIGS. 5-8) for applyingadhesive to the blanks 10 (e.g., at the adhesive region 43). In oneembodiment, the adhesive applicator 116 can include one or more adhesiveoutlets 116 a mounted on a frame 116 b above the blank conveyor 109 sothat the adhesive applicator 116 can apply an adhesive (e.g., adhesive118 shown schematically in FIGS. 6A and 8) to the upper surfaces of theblanks 10 as they pass under the adhesive applicator 116 and prior toengaging the blanks 10 with the web of material 101. As shown in FIG. 8,the web of material 101 can be unrolled from the roll 102 over one ormore rollers and directed to move in the machine direction over (e.g.,generally parallel to) the lug belts 111 so that the web of material 101can be brought into contact with the blanks 10 in the attachmentassembly 115. In the illustrated embodiment, the attachment assembly 115can include an adhesive compression nip roller 117 (FIGS. 5 and 8)downstream from the adhesive applicator 116 over the web of material101. An opposing nip roller or other surface (not shown) can be disposedbelow the blanks 10. Accordingly, the nip rollers can receive the web ofmaterial 101 and the blanks 10 and press the web of material 101 againstthe blanks 10 to adhesively attach the web to the blanks via theadhesive 118, for example. In one embodiment, the nip roller 117 and theopposing roller can be disposed between the lug belts 111 so that thelugs 113 can pass by the rollers. The blank 10 can be attached to theweb 101 by other suitable mechanisms without departing from thedisclosure.

In one embodiment, as schematically shown in FIG. 5, the web 101 withblanks 10 attached (hereinafter the attached web W′) travels from theblank conveyor 109 through a series of rollers 121, 123 and to a tubeforming assembly 125 of the system 100. The tube forming assembly 125can include web folding features for forming the web of material 101into an open-ended tube 101′. In one embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 5 and9-11, the tube forming assembly 125 can include a forming roll 126,guide rollers 128 a, an inner forming plate 129, and two outer guideplates 130 that form and shape the web 101 into the tube 101′ having theside gussets 60 and fold lines 61 (FIGS. 3 and 4). As shown in FIG. 9,the forming roll 126 can engage the central portion 63 of the web ofmaterial 101, and the marginal portions 65, 67 of the web of material101 can fold upwardly at the forming roll 126 to the guide rollers 128a. In the illustrated embodiment, the guide rollers 128 a can direct themarginal portions 65, 67 over the inner forming plate 129 and betweenthe outer guide plates 130. Additional guide rollers 128 b (FIG. 10)downstream from the guide rollers 128 a can further direct the marginalportions 65, 67 to overlap one another on the inner forming plate 129.In one embodiment, the inner forming plate 129 can be spaced apart fromthe central portion 63 of the web of material so that the gussetportions 60 extend generally vertically between the central portion 63and the respective marginal portions 65, 67 and adjacent to therespective outer guide plates 130. Accordingly, the marginal portions65, 67 of the web of material 101 are engaged between the inner formingplate 129 and the guide rollers 128 a, 128 b to move the marginalportions from being generally planar with the central portion 63 (e.g.,upstream from the forming roll 126) to being at least partiallyoverlapped with one another and extending over the central portion 63downstream from the guide rollers 128 a.

As shown in FIG. 10, the tube forming assembly 125 includes a webadhesive applicator 127 that applies adhesive (e.g., an adhesive 72schematically shown in FIG. 10) to the web 101 as the web is beingformed into the tube 101′. The adhesive 72 can be applied to one or bothof the marginal portions 65, 67 by the adhesive applicator 127 as theyare overlapped to form a longitudinal seam 71 in the tube 101′ (FIGS. 10and 11). As shown in FIG. 4, the longitudinal seam 71 can form a back ofthe bag 3 in the formed package 1. The seam 71 could be otherwise formedwithout departing from the scope of the invention. As shown in FIG. 11,the gussets 60 of the tube 101′ can be formed by the inner forming plate129, the outer guide plates 130, and a flexible plate 132 disposeddownstream from the inner forming plate and the outer guide plates. Inone embodiment, the inner forming plate 129 can be angled downwardly sothat the upstream end of the inner forming plate 129 (FIG. 9) is spacedfarther from the central portion 63 of the web of material 101 than thedownstream end of the forming plate (not shown). Additionally the outerguide plates 130 can each include an inwardly-directly horizontal plate130 a (FIGS. 9-11), and the outer guide plates 130 with the horizontalplates 130 a can be angled inwardly so that the outer guide plates 130are spaced farther apart from one another at the upstream end (FIG. 9)of the outer guide plates than at the downstream end (FIG. 11) of theouter guide plates. Accordingly, in one embodiment, as the attached webW′ moves in the machine direction M, the inner forming plate 129 canlower the overlapped marginal portions 65, 67 and the longitudinal seam71 toward the central portion 63 of the tube 101′ while the horizontalplates 130 a push the gusset portions 60 of the tube 101′ inwardly. Asshown in FIG. 11, as the tube 101′ moves downstream from the innerforming plate 129 and the outer guide plates 130, the portions of thegussets 60 adjacent the respective marginal portions 65, 67 overlap theportions of the gussets 60 adjacent the central portion 63 between thecentral portion 63 and the respective marginal portions 65, 67. Theflexible plate 132 can apply downward pressure on the tube 101′ to helpform the fold lines of the gussets 60, to help adhere the marginalportions 65, 67 together via the adhesive 72, and/or to generallyflatten the tube 101′. The tube forming assembly 125 could be otherwiseconfigured without departing from the disclosure.

In one embodiment, the attached web W′ moves from the tube formingassembly 125 to a carton forming assembly 131 of the system 100. In oneembodiment, the carton forming assembly 131 includes carton foldingfeatures (FIGS. 12 and 13) that position the various flaps and panels ofthe blank 10. In addition, the system 100 can include folders (notshown) for breaking the fold lines of the blank 10 (e.g., the arcuatefold lines 31, 33, 35, 37) between the tube forming assembly 125 and thecarton forming assembly 131. In one embodiment, the carton formingassembly 131 includes a carton adhesive applicator 135 (FIG. 12) thatapplies adhesive (e.g., an adhesive 136 shown schematically in FIG. 12)to the blank 10 (e.g., at adhesive regions 41, 45—FIG. 2) so that panels(e.g., the first back panel 23 and the second back panel 25) can beoverlapped and adhered (FIG. 13) to form the blank 10 into thereinforcement sleeve 5 as the attached web W′ moves through the cartonforming assembly 131. In the illustrated embodiment, the carton formingassembly 131 can include folding plates including outer wedge plates 133a, inner guide plates 133 b, and forming plates 134. As shown in FIG.12, the inner guide plates 133 b can extend over the blank 10 (e.g.,adjacent and inward of the lateral fold lines 26, 27—FIG. 2), and theouter wedge plates 133 a can push the back panels 23, 25 of the blankupwardly to extend generally vertically between the respective outerwedge plates 133 a and the respective inner guide plates 133 b, foldingthe blank 10 at the lateral fold lines 26, 27 in one embodiment. Asshown in FIG. 13, the forming plates 134 can have an inner edge that isangled inwardly to further fold the back panels 23, 25 downwardly overthe tube 101′. Additionally, the forming plates 134 can press the backpanels 23, 25 against the tube so that the adhesive 136 can attach theback panels to the tube. In one embodiment, the back panels 23, 25 canat least partially overlap and can be adhered to one another. The cartonforming assembly 131 could be otherwise configured without departingfrom the disclosure. For example, the carton forming assembly 131 coulduse forming belts instead of or in addition to the folding plates shownin FIGS. 12 and 13.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 14-16, the attached web W′ moves from the cartonforming assembly 131 through two drive rollers 135, 137 and into arotary bag sealer assembly 139 that is downstream from the driverollers. In one embodiment, the attached web W′ moves upward from thedrive rollers 135, 137 to the rotary bag sealer assembly 139 thatincludes a heat seal roller 141 and a heat seal arm 143. In oneembodiment, the roller 141 has a square or other suitable polygonalcross-sectional shape (shown schematically in FIG. 16) so that theroller includes four edges 144 or corners around the circumference ofthe roller. Alternatively, the roller could have any suitable number ofedges without departing from the disclosure. As the attached web W′moves upward from the rollers 135, 137, the roller 141 rotates and theedges 144 move into engagement with a respective section of the attachedweb corresponding to the bottom transverse seal 69 at the closed end 9of the bag 3. The heat seal arm 143 is urged against the roller 141 andrides along the square shaped outer surface of the roller. As thecorresponding edges 144 of the roller bring the corresponding section ofthe attached web W′ into engagement with the heat seal arm 143, the armmoves away from the roller 141 but stays in contact with the roller toheat the web material and join the two layers of overlapped material atthe section of the tube 101′ to form the transverse seal 69. In oneembodiment, the heat from the heat seal arm 143 can activate apreviously-applied heat-activate glue and/or at least partially melt orweld the walls of the tube 101′ together to form the transverse seal 69.

In the illustrated embodiment, the sequential transverse seals 69disposed between each of the reinforcement sleeves 5 on the attached webW′ moving downstream from the roller 141 can form tube portions 147 inthe tube 101′. In one embodiment, the tube portions 147 can extend fromone transverse seal 69 to another and can generally correspond to thebags 3 in the packages 1. The size of the roller 141 can be adjusted tochange the distance between the respective edges to adjust to locationof the bottom seal 9 of the bag 3 based on the size of the bag needed.As shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, the seal arm 143 is generally arcuate witha curved interior surface 146 that contacts the web of material 101 andpresses the web of material against a respective edge 144. After leavingthe rotary bag sealer assembly 139, the attached web W′ includes aseries of formed reinforced packages (e.g., including the reinforcementsleeves 5 attached to the tube portions 147, which generally correspondto the bags 3 in the separate packages 1) that are connected togethervia the tube 101′. The rotary bag sealer assembly 139 could be otherwiseshaped, arranged, configured, and/or omitted without departing from thedisclosure. For example, the sealer assembly 139 could include rollerswith a generally cylindrical body having a series of raised heatingelements arranged at spaced locations about the circumference of theroller so that the bottom transverse seals 69 of the bags 3 are providedby pressing the portion of the attached web W′ against the raisedheating elements.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 17, the system 100 includes a cutting assembly151 with one or more cutting features downstream from the rotary bagsealer assembly 139. In the illustrated embodiment, the cutting assemblyis a rotary cutting assembly 151 that includes a cutting roller 153 anda base roller 155 that cut the attached web W′ into the individualreinforced packages 1. The attached web W′ is cut and separated intoindividual packages 1 by cutting the web material 101 at the locationcorresponding to the top edge 7 of the package 1 and the locationcorresponding to the bottom edge 9 of the package (e.g., adjacent thetransverse seal 69). In one embodiment, the cutting roller 153 can havean edge 157 or other cutting feature that is configured to cut the tube101′ after the transverse seam 69 of a tube portion 147 passes thecutting roller 153 so that the cut is made just upstream from transverseseam 69. After the cut, the package 1 is now separated from theremainder of the attached web W′ and the tube portion 147 is now the bag3. The attached web W′ can be cut and formed into the packages 1 byother mechanisms without departing from the disclosure. Further, therotary cutting assembly 151 could be otherwise shaped, arranged, and/orconfigured without departing from the disclosure.

As shown in FIGS. 17, and 18, a conveyor assembly 161 is locateddownstream of the rotary bag sealer assembly 139 and the cuttingassembly 151 to transport the separate packages 1 for collection andfurther handling and/or packaging for shipping to a customer. In oneembodiment, the conveyor assembly 161 can include several belts drivenby and guided by rollers to move the packages 1 away from the cuttingassembly 151 and to output the packages onto a stack or anotherconveyor, for example. The packages 1 could be otherwise moved away fromthe cutting assembly 151 without departing from the disclosure.

In an alternative embodiment, as shown in FIG. 19 the carton feeder 107could be replaced by a belt driven carton feeder 107′ that conveys ablank 10 from the stack at relatively higher speeds than the pick andplace type carton feeder 107 of FIGS. 6A and 6B. In the illustratedembodiment, the carton feeder 107′ can move the blanks 10 from the stack108 between an upper series of belts 171 and a lower series of belts173. The belts 171, 173 can be endless belts that extend around and aredriven by a plurality of rollers 175, for example. The carton feeder107′ can be timed to output a blank 10 onto the lug belts 111 ahead ofrespective lugs 113, and a drag feature (e.g., the brushes 114 shown inFIGS. 7 and 8) can engage the blank 10 until the adjacent lugs 113 movedownstream and engage an edge of the blank. As described above, the lugs113 can then move the blank 10 downstream to the adhesive applicator116. The blanks 10 could be otherwise fed to the blank conveyor 109without departing from the disclosure. For example, the carton feedercould include a shuttle feeder or other suitable features.

FIG. 20 is a schematic view of a system 200 of a second embodiment thatis similar to the system 100 of the first embodiment. The system 200 isfor forming the reinforced packages 1 in a similar manner as the system100 except system 200 includes a different sealing mechanism 203 forforming the transverse seals 69 the bottom ends 9 of the bags 3.Accordingly, like or similar references numbers are used to indicatelike or similar features of the two embodiments. In the embodiment ofFIG. 20, the rotary bag sealer assembly 139 (FIGS. 5 and 14-16) has beenremoved and replaced with the sealing mechanism 203 that heat seals thebottom end portions 9 of the bags 3 after the attached web W′ has beenseparated at the rotary cutting assembly 151. Separated but unsealedpackages 210, including reinforcement sleeves 5 attached to respectivetube portions 147, can be fed to the sealing mechanism 203 and thebottom end portions 9 of the bags can be heat sealed to form thetransverse seals 69 (FIG. 3) of the reinforced packages 1. The heatsealing mechanism 203 can be any suitable heat sealer machine for heatsealing the bag material 101, or any other suitable mechanism forforming the transverse seal 69 of the bag 3.

The system 100, 200 for forming the reinforced packages 1 of the presentdisclosure form the packages in a highly efficient manner by firstattaching the web 101 to the blanks 10 to form the attached web W′, andthen forming the tube 101′ from the web 101 including the side gussets60 on each side of the tube. The blank 10 is then folded to form thereinforced construct or sleeve 5. The attached web W′ including the tube101′ and the sleeves 5 is then further processed to form the bottomtransverse seal 69 of the bags and to cut and separate the attached webinto individual reinforced packages 1. The system 100, 200 of thepresent disclosure is more efficient than other systems that separatelyform the bags 3 and attach the formed bags to the blanks at leastbecause once the blanks 10 are attached to the web 101 to create theattached web W′ of the systems 100, 200 of the present disclosure, theblanks move with the web 101 in an aligned manner and twisting orturning of the blanks during processing is prevented by the secureattachment to the web. Furthermore, alignment of the separate blanks 10and formed bags 3 is no longer needed as the packages 1 formed by thesystems 100, 200 are formed from the attached web W′ including theblanks 10 attached to the web 101.

Generally, as described herein, bags can be formed from a paper stockmaterial, although various plastic or other bag materials also can beused, and can be lined or coated with a desired material. Thereinforcing sleeves described herein can be made from a more rigidmaterial such as a clay-coated natural kraft (“CCNK”). Other materialssuch various card-stock, paper, plastic or other synthetic or naturalmaterials also can be used to form the components of the packagesdescribed herein.

In general, the blanks of the present disclosure may be constructed frompaperboard having a caliper so that it is heavier and more rigid thanordinary paper. The blank can also be constructed of other materials,such as cardboard, or any other material having properties suitable forenabling the carton to function at least generally as described above.The blank can be coated with, for example, a clay coating. The claycoating may then be printed over with product, advertising, and otherinformation or images. The blanks may then be coated with a varnish toprotect information printed on the blanks. The blanks may also be coatedwith, for example, a moisture barrier layer, on either or both sides ofthe blanks. The blanks can also be laminated to or coated with one ormore sheet-like materials at selected panels or panel sections.

As an example, a tear line can include: a slit that extends partiallyinto the material along the desired line of weakness, and/or a series ofspaced apart slits that extend partially into and/or completely throughthe material along the desired line of weakness, or various combinationsof these features. As a more specific example, one type tear line is inthe form of a series of spaced apart slits that extend completelythrough the material, with adjacent slits being spaced apart slightly sothat a nick (e.g., a small somewhat bridging-like piece of the material)is defined between the adjacent slits for typically temporarilyconnecting the material across the tear line. The nicks are brokenduring tearing along the tear line. The nicks typically are a relativelysmall percentage of the tear line, and alternatively the nicks can beomitted from or torn in a tear line such that the tear line is acontinuous cut line. That is, it is within the scope of the presentdisclosure for each of the tear lines to be replaced with a continuousslit, or the like. For example, a cut line can be a continuous slit orcould be wider than a slit without departing from the presentdisclosure.

In accordance with the exemplary embodiments, a fold line can be anysubstantially linear, although not necessarily straight, form ofweakening that facilitates folding there along. More specifically, butnot for the purpose of narrowing the scope of the present disclosure,fold lines include: a score line, such as lines formed with a bluntscoring knife, or the like, which creates a crushed or depressed portionin the material along the desired line of weakness; a cut that extendspartially into a material along the desired line of weakness, and/or aseries of cuts that extend partially into and/or completely through thematerial along the desired line of weakness; and various combinations ofthese features. In situations where cutting is used to create a foldline, typically the cutting will not be overly extensive in a mannerthat might cause a reasonable user to incorrectly consider the fold lineto be a tear line.

The above embodiments may be described as having one or more panelsadhered together by glue during erection of the carton embodiments. Theterm “glue” is intended to encompass all manner of adhesives commonlyused to secure carton panels in place.

The foregoing description of the disclosure illustrates and describesvarious embodiments. As various changes could be made in the aboveconstruction without departing from the scope of the disclosure, it isintended that all matter contained in the above description or shown inthe accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and notin a limiting sense. Furthermore, the scope of the present disclosurecovers various modifications, combinations, alterations, etc., of theabove-described embodiments. Additionally, the disclosure shows anddescribes only selected embodiments, but various other combinations,modifications, and environments are within the scope of the disclosureas expressed herein, commensurate with the above teachings, and/orwithin the skill or knowledge of the relevant art. Furthermore, certainfeatures and characteristics of each embodiment may be selectivelyinterchanged and applied to other illustrated and non-illustratedembodiments of the disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for forming reinforced packages, thesystem comprising: an attachment assembly receiving a web of materialand a paperboard blank, the attachment assembly bringing the paperboardblank into engagement with the web of material for forming an attachedweb; a tube forming assembly disposed downstream from the attachmentassembly, the tube forming assembly receiving the attached web andcomprising web folding features for folding at least a portion of theweb of material to at least partially form a tube; a carton formingassembly disposed downstream from the attachment assembly, the cartonforming assembly receiving the attached web and comprising cartonfolding features for folding at least portion of the paperboard blankover the tube to form a reinforcement sleeve, the reinforcement sleevecomprising the paperboard blank; and a cutting assembly downstream fromthe tube forming assembly and the carton forming assembly, the cuttingassembly comprising cutting features for separating a tube portion fromthe web of material to at least partially form a reinforced packagecomprising the tube portion attached to the reinforcement sleeve.
 2. Thesystem of claim 1, further comprising a sealer assembly for forming atransverse seal in the tube, the sealer assembly comprising a heat sealroller and a heat seal arm, the heat seal roller rotating relative tothe heat seal arm.
 3. The system of claim 2, wherein the heat sealroller comprises at least one edge, the heat seal arm comprises a curvedsurface disposed proximate the heat seal roller so that the at least oneedge slides along the curved surface as the heat seal roller rotates forpressing a section of the tube between the at least one edge and thecurved surface.
 4. The system of claim 3, wherein the at least one edgecomprises a plurality of edges and the heat seal roller comprises apolygonal cross-section.
 5. The system of claim 1, further comprising ablank conveyor for moving the paperboard blank to the attachmentassembly, the blank conveyor comprising at least one lug belt with atleast one lug for engaging the paperboard blank and moving thepaperboard blank toward the attachment assembly.
 6. The system of claim5, further comprising an adhesive applicator, wherein the blank conveyoris for moving the paperboard blank at least partially through theadhesive applicator and the attachment assembly, and the attachmentassembly comprises at least one nip roller, the adhesive applicatorbeing for applying adhesive to the paperboard blank and the at least onenip roller being for pressing the paperboard blank with the adhesiveagainst the web of material as the blank conveyor moves the paperboardblank through the adhesive applicator and the attachment assembly. 7.The system of claim 1, wherein web forming features of the tube formingassembly comprise two guide rollers and an inner forming plate at leastpartially extending over a central portion of the web of material, thetwo guide rollers being for guiding respective marginal portions of theweb of material over the inner forming plate so that the marginalportions at least partially overlap to form the tube.
 8. The system ofclaim 7, wherein the tube forming assembly further comprises a formingwheel disposed upstream from the two guide rollers and the inner formingplate, the forming wheel being for at least partially engaging thecentral portion of the web of material during at least a portion of thefolding the marginal portions of the web of material.
 9. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the carton forming assembly comprises an adhesiveapplicator for applying carton adhesive to two back panels of thepaperboard blank and folding plates for folding the two back panelsrelative to a front panel of the paperboard blank and positioning thetwo back panels against the tube.
 10. The system of claim 1, wherein thecutting assembly comprises a cutting roller for cutting the tube.